Worlds at War
by Marcus S. Lazarus
Summary: The League are contacted by Mycroft Holmes, who informs them that a Martian invasion is coming. But, even with the aid of the Frankenstein Monster and the mysterious Logan, this time the League may be unable to win...
1. A New Mission

Disclaimer: The usual: I own nothing you know, that sort of thing.  
  
Feedback: Please do.  
  
AN: This story's plot is in NO WAY similar to the comic book 'The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen Volume Two' in any way other than that they're fighting the Martians. So, no disturbing sex scenes, Doctor Moreau will not be involved, the Invisible Man won't turn traitor, Hyde won't get blown up, and Nemo and Mina won't leave the League for personal reasons.  
  
Worlds at War  
  
"How's it coming along?"  
  
Peeking out of her door, Mina smiled when she saw who had made that comment; Tom Sawyer, dressed in the suit he'd worn for Christmas rather than his usual casual attire. Still, his change of clothing wasn't too much of a surprise.  
  
"Well, thanks Tom," she replied, before she shut the door to finish what she'd been doing. She'd managed to find the gown that Sawyer had given her for Christmas, and had decided that it would be a good choice for tonight.  
  
Since Terry had joined the League they'd been putting him through his paces against the other members of the team, and although they had acknowledged the need for it the League hadn't been exactly thrilled at the fighting; several of them were still slightly sore. To make up for it, Sawyer had persuaded Nemo's cook to organise something special for the League that night, and also commented that he'd made arrangements for some interesting after-dinner entertainment.  
  
Personally, Mina was looking forward to it. She hadn't attended much social gatherings like this one before Dracula's bite had transformed her, and she'd normally neglected them ever since it had. She wouldn't mind the chance to loosen up tonight.  
  
*****  
  
When Mina opened the door, Sawyer couldn't help but stare at her. She was wearing the gown he'd got her for Christmas, but it looked far better than he could ever have imagined from seeing it on the rack. It was a dark blue colour, and had no shoulders or arms, spreading down from just below her arms to around her feet. She had also put on some long white gloves that stretched up to above her elbows, and a long sparkling scarf was draped around her neck. He also noted that she was wearing the necklace Skinner had given her for Christmas. Her hair was bunched up a little over her forehead, and the rest of it was in an attractive bun at the back of her head.  
  
"Wow," Sawyer said, looking his lover up and down. "That looks better than I ever imagined."  
  
"Thanks," Mina smiled, kissing him briefly before she took his hand and they began to walk down the corridor. "So, what's this enigmatic entertainment you've been mentioning?" She suddenly stopped and Sawyer looked back at her. He noticed an expression on her face that appeared to be a combination of horror and humour. "It's not Skinner doing a comedy routine, right?"  
  
"Well, I did think about that..." Sawyer replied, causing the humour to vanish from Mina's face. "But after he tried a couple of jokes, I told him it wouldn't work. No, I've got Hartdegen and Terry to organise something very unique. In fact, you can safely say this world has never seen the like of this show to date."  
  
"How's that?" Mina asked.  
  
"Well, let's eat first, than you'll see," Sawyer replied, before he continued on down the corridor.  
  
Mina followed on after only a couple of seconds. She knew that Sawyer had gone to a lot of trouble to organise this surprise, and she didn't want his efforts to go to waste. He'd reveal it when the time was right.  
  
When they arrived in the League's dining room, most of the others were already there. Terry wasn't, but that was understandable; he didn't need to eat or drink, so it would be pretty pointless to have joined them. Well, strictly speaking, Terry did need to eat, but it was mostly just basic sustenance taken over a certain period of time, from what the League had gathered, so he mostly ate when he wanted to by himself.  
  
The rest of the League all looked very distinguished. Jekyll and Nemo were wearing what they'd been wearing for Christmas, and Hartdegen was wearing a similar outfit to Jekyll and Sawyer (Except that his one was a dark green while theirs were blue and red). Even Skinner had put in a bit of effort on this occasion; he was wearing a black formal suit with a white shirt and bow tie, although it looked like he'd just been raiding Jekyll's wardrobe.  
  
"Can I ask you something?" Mina asked Sawyer, before the two of them sat down. "How come you, Henry and Alex are all wearing something like Dorian's outfits? Trying to imitate him to impress me?"  
  
"No, nothing like that," Sawyer assured her. "It's just that there's nothing else for these occasions except Nemo's stuff, and none of them are really us."  
  
"Fair enough," Mina said, as she and Sawyer sat down at the table and Sawyer looked over at Nemo.  
  
"So, did they get the first course out yet?" he asked.  
  
"No," Nemo replied. "We've been waiting for you two before we started, but the cook has managed to keep the dishes warm." He looked over at the door leading to the kitchen. "They're here now!" he called in.  
  
As soon as the words were out of his mouth, the door had opened and six waiters came heading out of the door. All were carrying a scrumptious- looking dish on the plate, which they placed in front of each League member, and they started tucking in at once. However, despite the attraction of the meal (A steak cooked so that it was still slightly bloody), Mina still couldn't stop wondering what the after-meal entertainment was.  
  
*****  
  
Eventually, the League had finished their food. As Skinner (Who'd taken ages to finish his desert of chocolate ice-cream) finally put his spoon down in his bowl, he glanced over at Sawyer.  
  
"So, is that mysterious entertainment going to be revealed soon, Mr Sawyer?" he asked, grinning at his friend. "After all, I think we're entitled to find out whether all the fuss was worth it."  
  
"Yes, that's true," Sawyer said, glancing over at Hartdegen. "Page Terry now, Alex."  
  
"Check," Hartdegen said, as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small black box.  
  
"What is that?" Nemo asked, leaning over the table to look at it.  
  
"A pager," Hartdegen replied, smiling a little at Nemo's scientific curiosity. "If I push this button, it will cause the one that I gave to Terry to beep sharply. When he gets it... well, you'll see."  
  
Just as Hartdegen was about to push the button, one of Nemo's crew came charging into the room, waving something above his head. The entire League recognised it at once; it was the only one of the four radios that Hartdegen had brought back which they'd kept.  
  
"Yes, what is it?" Nemo asked, getting up and walking towards the crewman. "Sorry to interrupt you like this, Captain, but we have received an urgent call from My Mycroft Holmes," the crewman explained, turning to Sawyer as he spoke. "He wishes to speak with you, sir."  
  
"Of course," Sawyer said, as he got out of his seat and took the radio. Pushing the talk button, he raised it to his mouth and said, "Mycroft, this is Sawyer. What's up?" A voice crackled back over the radio, replying, "I am sorry to interrupt anything that you may be doing, Agent Sawyer, but we need you immediately. There may be a grave danger coming to the world, and you are the only people with the capacity to stop it."  
  
Sawyer looked around the table at the rest of the League. They all nodded in agreement at their leader. He smiled.  
  
"Sure thing, Mycroft. What's the situation?" he said into the radio.  
  
"It is too complicated to explain right now," the British Government agent replied. "Meet me in the room underneath the British Museum, in the room where Moriarty met with Mr Quartermain, Captain Nemo, Mr Skinner and Mrs Harker. Will that be good?"  
  
"Good enough," Sawyer replied, as he turned the radio off. He looked over at the other League members. "Sorry guys, but it looks like the entertainment is going to have to wait. Hartdegen, inform Terry about the change in circumstances. Nemo, turn the Nautilus in the direction of London. The rest of you, just change into something more suitable and make sure your training with Terry hasn't caused anything too serious; whatever Mycroft's called us in for, it's got to be big."  
  
"Check," Skinner replied, as he got out of his seat and headed towards the main door, shrugging off his jacket as he walked. The rest of the League followed suite, with Sawyer at the back. However, Mina glanced back at him and noticed that he was looking a little sad. She turned back and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "What's wrong, Tom?" she asked.  
  
He looked up, and rewarded her with a small smile. "Nothing much. It's just..." he sighed. "I was so looking forward to showing you guys what I'd set up. Now it's all ruined."  
  
Mina smiled a little and patted him reassuring. "Don't worry about it, Tom. Whatever else happens, I'm sure you'll have the time to show us whatever you set up later." She then leaned forward and whispered into his ear. "And, once we're done with the practice, I'm sure I could come up with some... interesting ways to make you feel better."  
  
Sawyer smiled at her as she imparted that little bit of information. "You're perfect, you know that?"  
  
"I try," Mina smiled in reply.  
  
Then the two of them linked hands and began walking on down the corridor. It was only a small gesture of affection, but it made them feel like they could take on anything. They were good together. Alone, they were strong. Together, it was a very foolish person who tried to stop them.  
  
However, right now all they wanted to do was get to a cabin and enjoy each other's company for a while. Based on their current location, they knew that the Nautilus wouldn't reach London for about a day, so they had plenty of time.  
  
*****  
  
"So, Terry, how'd your timeline come about anyway?" Skinner asked, as he and Terry spread out in their chairs on the viewing deck. To ensure they made good time for the trip, Nemo had surfaced the Nautilus and was currently charging up the solar panels to ensure it made good speed. The rest of the League were busy preparing for whatever Mycroft wanted them for, but since Skinner and Terry's abilities were always at their peak, Skinner had convinced Terry to join him in a bit of rest.  
  
"It began on September 18th, 2003, at 6:18 p.m.," Terry replied. He may have come up, but Skinner got the distinct impression that this whole thing did nothing more for him than help him blend in. After all, he didn't eat, drink, go to the toilet or sleep (Skinner didn't know about the last, but he'd sometimes seen Terry's room and the bed was always in pristine order so it seemed likely), and was still taking time to learn passably normal human vocabulary, so he probably needed to appear normal in every way he could. "The Artificial Intelligence system, Skynet, was activated in order to combat a virus that had been infecting the world's computers. Despite the efforts of John Connor, Katherine Brewster, and another T-101-"  
  
"Whoa, back up, I need a cast list," Skinner said, holding up one arm. "John Connor? Katherine Brewster? Another T-101- what, you guys come custom- made or something?"  
  
"Yes," Terry replied simply. "And in answer to your other questions, John Connor is the leader of the human resistance, and the single last best hope for humankind in his time. Katherine Brewster is his wife, and the main reason his group managed to stand against Skynet due to her father's connections with the American army."  
  
"Oh," Skinner said. Not every day you hear about a war to save humanity in another reality, he thought to himself. Gather everything you can to ensure it never happens here. "So, what happened?"  
  
"Skynet triggered off the world's nuclear missile silos," Terry said. Noticing that Skinner's body language indicated confusion, he just said, "That is a weapon from the future that can severely damage the environment in its immediate vicinity when set off. It almost totally annihilated every human on the planet. The survivors were eventually led by John Connor against Skynet, eventually managing to defeat it."  
  
"Let me guess, not that simple, huh?" Skinner asked, giving a small grin. Terry only saw it due to his infrared vision; Skinner wasn't wearing his greasepaint, so his face was invisible to normal vision.  
  
"True," Terry began, but before he could continue their conversation was interrupted by the appearance of Doctor Jekyll.  
  
"Sorry to interrupt, but Nemo tells me that we'll be diving soon," he said, looking at his two friends. "Besides, we need to organise the weapons; Hartdegen's picked up a couple of guns in the future that Hyde might be able to use, along with a lot of other stuff, but we still need to decide who gets what in the event of our needing to go into action."  
  
"Fair enough," Skinner said, as he and Terry got out of their seats. Skinner dusted his coat down while Terry folding their deckchairs up and tucked them under his arms.  
  
As Terry headed down into the Nautilus, Skinner glanced over at Jekyll.  
  
"Did Nemo say when we'd be in London, by the way?" he asked.  
  
"I think he said we'd be there in about fifteen hours or so," Jekyll replied, as he and Skinner entered the Nautilus and Skinner pulled the door shut. "He says it's a good thing we aren't too far from London; apparently we've been sailing towards Denmark recently."  
  
"Any particular reason?" Skinner asked, as he got the slight feeling of a jolt in his stomach that he always got when the Nautilus was diving for some reason.  
  
"No, he just said he felt like dropping in," Jekyll replied, as they entered the Nautilus's main corridor and began to walk towards the control room. "Apparently he hasn't been there before, and he wanted to go somewhere new."  
  
"Well, we'll have to remember to pay it a visit once this mess is over," Skinner said, as he and Jekyll entered the control room, where Mina was turning the main wheel. "Course laid in, Nemo?" he asked casually.  
  
Nemo looked back at the invisible man and nodded. "Where are the others?" he asked as he moved away from the wheel, leaving his new first mate, Patel, in charge.  
  
"Well, Terry's putting away our deckchairs, last I heard Hartdegen was cleaning his machine, and I think I saw Sawyer and Mina heading for Sawyer's room," Skinner replied, as he ticked off each member on his fingers. At least, that's what Nemo and Jekyll assumed he was doing; Skinner hadn't got any gloves on at the moment, so the only hint he was doing anything with his hands was the fact that his sleeves were near his face.  
  
"So, shall we leave them there?" Jekyll asked, looking around at his friends.  
  
"Oh, more than likely," Nemo replied, as the three of them left the control room. "After all, we don't need them right now; we just need to pick out what weapons might be useful for this fight. Besides, I believe that Mr Sawyer and Mrs Harker would appreciate a bit of private time before something as big as what Mr Holmes was implying."  
  
"True," Skinner said, as they began to walk down the stairs that led to the Nautilus's weapons stores. "Well, let's get down to business."  
  
With that, the three of them left the steps and entered the weapons store, which was conveniently near the stairs. Nemo noted that everything was being kept in the pristine order he expected from his crew, and made a note to thank them.  
  
"So," he said, as he turned back to his friends, "Where shall we begin?" 


	2. The Situation is Thus

Disclaimer: The usual: I own nothing you know, that sort of thing.  
  
Feedback: Please do.  
  
Worlds at War  
  
A few hours later, with the Nautilus only a couple of miles from London, the weapons had been picked out.  
  
It wasn't all that different from their arsenal for the Morlocks, really; it consisted of several of Nemo's larger guns, along with a few high-power pistols in the event of the fighting getting too close. Nemo had even managed to track down an extremely large rifle for Hyde; in fact, it was meant to be used by almost three people holding it up and a fourth firing. Nemo had built it as a weapon for the Nautilus originally, but had abandoned it on the grounds that it would only slow down boats (His traditional target at the time).  
  
"So, is that everything?" Skinner asked, as he dumped his last armload of weapons in front of Nemo. Jekyll had gone to his room to catch a couple of hour's sleep before their arrival, but Skinner had decided to stay on the grounds that he was feeling very energetic.  
  
Nemo nodded. "Yes, this will suffice, Mr Skinner. I shall just fetch the others and we can get all these loaded up before we leave."  
  
"Loaded up? Where are we loading them?" Skinner asked, looking at Nemo in surprise.  
  
"In that," Nemo said, pointing to one side. Skinner looked and, to his amazement, saw Nemo's car, which had last been seen by Sawyer before the building it was in was destroyed by the Nautilus's missiles. However, it appeared slightly larger; it was far longer, and it had more seats in it.  
  
"When'd you rebuild it?" he asked, glancing over at Nemo in surprise.  
  
"Oh, just in between missions," Nemo replied, looking rather casual about it all. "After all, we do need everything we can get."  
  
"True," Skinner said, as he got back up and stretched slightly. "Shall I fetch the others?"  
  
"Please," Nemo said, as he headed over to the car and opened a smaller door at the back. "I'll start loading."  
  
"Be back in a mo," Skinner replied, as he walked out the weapons storage cupboard and headed up the steps.  
  
*****  
  
An hour or so later, the League were driving through the streets of London, heading straight for the British Museum. Sawyer was driving in the front seat with Nemo right beside him, while Hartdegen, Skinner and Jekyll sat just behind them, Terry and Mina occupying the new back seats. The Nautilus had gone underwater when the League had driven out, but the crew were under orders to rise up again as soon as they detected the car coming back.  
  
"Are we there yet?" Skinner asked, looking up at Sawyer and Nemo.  
  
"Just about," Sawyer replied, looking back at his friends. He glanced ahead of him, and grinned. "Here we are."  
  
He stopped the car, and the League got out. As the expected crowd began to gather around the car, the League entered the museum. Nemo lead the way as they headed down the long flight of stairs that led to what they had once believed to be the base of the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.  
  
*****  
  
As Skinner walked, he found himself remembering his previous visit to this place. He'd been so calm and casual on the surface, but inwardly wondering if he should really be here. Was he really the kind to save the world? Shouldn't he just ask for his cure and leave?  
  
But some part of him had made him stick around. The first one there, he'd dumped his coat on a chair and just hung around in a corner until he wanted to make a contribution. M had been sitting in a chair when he came in, and had just greeted him before putting the lights out to wait. Then Quartermain had arrived, followed closely by Nemo, and he still hadn't felt like saying anything. Then M had commented about Harker being late, and he'd spoken to his teammates for the first time.  
  
"Oh, chemist, eh? Do we get to blow something up then?"  
  
Why had he chosen such a stupid thing to say?  
  
But he knew the answer to that question. It was the kind of man he was back then. And, although he liked to think he'd changed a bit since then, he would be the first to admit he sometimes let the odd crack come out.  
  
Before his train of though could go any further, Nemo had opened the door at the bottom of the steps, and the League had stepped into the room where they had first come together. Glancing around, Skinner noticed that they still had all the pictures of the 'prior' Leagues that Moriarty had made up; one picture of Robin Hood, Ivanhoe and the Black Arrow; a second of the Four Musketeers, the Sea Hawk and Captain Blood; and a third of Doctor Syn, the Scarlet Pimpernel, Lemuel Gulliver, Hawkeye, Lady Blakeney and Fanny Hill. He wondered if they would be taking them down in the future, but somehow doubted it.  
  
Looking down the table, Skinner saw the large, obese figure of Mycroft Holmes sitting at the end of the table. Looking up as the League entered, Mycroft smiled and got out of his seat to shake Sawyer's hand.  
  
"You made good time getting here, Mr Sawyer," he said, nodding at the young American.  
  
*****  
  
"Well, I did ask you to only call us if you really thought we were needed, so I figured we should get here as soon as possible," Sawyer replied, as the League members took a seat at the massive table. "So, what's the situation?"  
  
"Well, it's- who is that?" Mycroft said, looking at Terry.  
  
"Oh, sorry," Sawyer said, remembering that Terry was still a relatively new face to the League, never mind to this time. "This is Terry Michael Nator- well, that's what we call him."  
  
"Oh," Mycroft said, turning to face Terry. "And what, exactly, is extraordinary about you, Mr Nator?"  
  
Terry looked over at Sawyer. "Shall I demonstrate?"  
  
"Yeah, go ahead," Sawyer replied, shrugging idly. "Just don't do anything too extreme, OK?"  
  
Terry nodded. Then he got out of his seat and walked over to one of the lights placed on the wall, in between two of the 'previous League' paintings. He grabbed the metal rods that both lights were attached to, and, with as little effort as if they were small sticks, he turned them around a complete one hundred and eighty degrees, then bending them back into shape. He glanced over at Mycroft.  
  
"Is that extraordinary enough for you, Mycroft Holmes?" he asked.  
  
"Quite impressive," Mycroft nodded, looking inquiringly at Terry. "How do you do that?"  
  
"It is complicated to explain," Terry replied. "All I will say is, I am not what I appear to be."  
  
"I see," Mycroft said. He waited a few seconds, but when Terry showed no signs of replying, he turned back to face the League. "Anyway, time to attend to business."  
  
"What seems to be the problem, Mycroft?" Skinner asked, as he swung his legs up onto the table in a casual manner.  
  
"Well, we have received reports about recent volcanic eruptions on Mars," Mycroft explained, looking focused. "Normally, this wouldn't be of very great importance, but observers have described it as being like 'flaming gases rushed out of a gun.' Also, we have recently had several strange cylinders landing near London, which appear too smooth to be natural."  
  
"So, what? You think they're from another planet?" Hartdegen asked.  
  
Mycroft looked over at Hartdegen. "That is exactly what I mean, Mr Hartdegen."  
  
"Oh God..." Sawyer said looking over at Mina. Both knew what that would mean. Life forms from another planet were on Earth.  
  
Therefore, they were capable of flight between planets.  
  
Therefore, they had technology was far in advance of even Captain Nemo.  
  
They also had no idea what they were doing here.  
  
"So, what do you want us to do?" Jekyll asked, looking over at Mycroft.  
  
"You are to make first contact with these... Martians, let us call them," Mycroft explained. "If they are peaceful, then we shall have at least given them some... interesting examples of humanity's development. If they are hostile, well, you seven are the best people currently alive to deal with them."  
  
"Yeah, sure, but don't we get a little extra backup?" Skinner replied. "You know, like an army to help if they're hostile?"  
  
"No, Mr Skinner," Mycroft replied, looking over harshly at the invisible man. "If we send an army to meet the Martians, they may believe we have hostile intentions. However, in the event of you requiring backup, we have tracked down two new members for this mission."  
  
*****  
  
As Mycroft finished speaking, the room's doors opened up and two men walked in. The first one was a tall man, wearing black trousers, a white shirt and a long brown coat. He had dark hair that hung down in a straggly manner that resembled Sawyer's, except that his was straight and a little dirty. He looked remarkably normal, except that his skin was remarkably pale and he also appeared to have several scars on his face and hands.  
  
The second person was also rather unusual. He wasn't remarkably tall, maybe only a few inches above five feet, but he appeared to be remarkably well built nevertheless. His hair struck out on the sides of his head, in a manner that slightly resembled horns, and his eyes had a vaguely animalistic look about them, although they also held what appeared to be a glint of intelligence about them. However, even with this, he struck the League as being a bit wild, even before he'd spoken. His clothes only added to this appearance; his black jacket was slightly tattered around the bottom, his originally white shirt was nearly yellow with grime, and his trousers were in a similarly tattered state to his jacket.  
  
Mycroft spoke after the League had taken in the newcomers. "Let me introduce you to Doctor Victor Frankenstein's monster-"  
  
"Call me Frank," the scarred man commented.  
  
"And Mr Logan of Canada," Mycroft said, pointing at the smaller man.  
  
"Glad to be here," the man nodded. His voice gave the impression of being very well educated, but there was a slightly rough edge to it that even Nemo couldn't identify.  
  
It was Hartdegen who eventually broke the silence. "I know what... Frank's abilities are- superhuman strength and all that," he said, looking around at the others. "But I'm afraid Mr Logan is an enigma to me."  
  
"Let's put it this way, Alex," Logan replied, as he raised one hand. "I've got some things in common with a man I understand you knew- a Mr Dorian Gray."  
  
Before the League could take that in, Logan then clenched his hand into a fist and three long claws stuck out of it. Even the League members unused to death in later stages recognised what the claws were made of.  
  
Bone.  
  
"That's... interesting," Skinner said, getting out his seat and examining the claws.  
  
"You haven't seen anything yet," Logan commented, as he held his claws to his chest, and suddenly struck them right into it.  
  
He fell back to the ground, pulling the claws out as he did so, but leaving the holes in his chest.  
  
"What the hell?!" Skinner yelled, as the League got up and ran to check on Logan- well, except for Terry, but he rarely ran under any circumstances.  
  
Sawyer glanced over at Mycroft. "What was up with this guy? Suicidal attitude or just plain crazy?"  
  
"Neither, Mr Sawyer," Mycroft replied, smiling. "Look at his wounds."  
  
Sawyer looked, along with the others. To their mutual amazement, the wounds were closing up so that it was like they had never even been there in the first place; they had practically gone already.  
  
As the wounds finally vanished, Logan got up and shook his head slightly.  
  
"Not the best way to demonstrate what I can do, but it's easier than getting shot," he commented, glancing over at the League. "What do you think?"  
  
"Wow..." Sawyer said, looking at where the wounds had been. Then he looked over at Mycroft. "Is he like this because of magic, or what?"  
  
"'Or what' is a very apt description, Mr Sawyer," Mycroft explained, as he got out of his chair and walked over to join the League. "Really, we have no idea what Mr Logan is-"  
  
"Logan's fine with me," Logan butted in.  
  
"Right, very well," Mycroft said, before continuing. "However, our scientists have a theory about him. You are aware of Charles Darwin's theory of natural selection, I presume?"  
  
"Oh, you mean how animals change over time to adapt to their surroundings?" Jekyll asked.  
  
"Exactly, Doctor," Mycroft replied, nodding at Jekyll. "Anyway, we believe that Logan is an early example of a future evolution of humanity. His body in itself appears perfectly normal baring the extra bones that are his claws, so we are assuming the change runs somewhere deeper than our science can find at its present stage. He also possesses a heightened sense of smell, which could be very useful in tracking people. Anyway, he and Frank will be joining you for at least the purposes of this mission, in the event of assistance being required."  
  
"Fair enough," Sawyer said, shaking Logan's hand. "Welcome aboard, Logan, Frank," he said, as he shook the hand of the other as well.  
  
"Glad to be here, Agent Sawyer," Frank replied.  
  
"Just Sawyer, please, Frank," Sawyer replied, before looking back at Mycroft. "Shall we get going?"  
  
"You should," Mycroft replied. "We have little time before someone attempts to open one of the cylinders. They are just on the outskirts of town."  
  
"Why are we waiting, may I ask?" Skinner asked, as he headed for the door in a determined manner, followed closely by Hartdegen and Nemo.  
  
The rest of the League looked at each other, shrugged, and followed on after their friends.  
  
"Do we have enough room in the car for Logan and Frank?" Jekyll asked Sawyer as they walked up the massive staircase.  
  
"I think so," Sawyer replied. "It'll be tight, but there's always some little problem, isn't there?" 


	3. The First Fight

Disclaimer: The usual: I own nothing you know, that sort of thing.  
  
Feedback: Please do.  
  
AN: Those wondering why I put Frankenstein's monster and Logan (AKA Wolverine) on the team, the reason is just what Mycroft said; the League need extra muscle, and these guys are very capable of providing it. Whether or not they'll stick around regularly is something you'll have to read on to find out about.  
  
Worlds at War  
  
An hour or so later, the League had arrived at the location where the cylinders had landed on Earth.  
  
It wasn't much to look at; just a vast, empty field with very little in the way vegetation that didn't include grass. The most interesting thing about it was the reason for the League's visit; a long cylinder that had landed in the middle of the field, leaving a massive hole where it had landed, and the sand and gravel had been spread out all over the field, forming heaps that could be seen over a mile and a half away. Most of the cylinder was buried in the ground, with only a little bit stick out. However, the top was turning slightly, as though  
  
"Not much to look at, is it?" Skinner said, as he studied the cylinder. The area had been cordoned off by the Government, but Sawyer had shown the officers guarding it some papers that Mycroft had given him and they couldn't let the League in fast enough. He'd instructed them to leave the field for the moment as well; he didn't want any civilians getting hurt if things turned ugly.  
  
"No, but I'd prefer to be prepared to greet whatever comes out of it," Sawyer replied, glancing around at his friends. "So, everyone get ready. Look impressive, but not threatening, OK?"  
  
"Just one point," Hartdegen said, speaking up. "In the future, several stories have been written about aliens, and some of the aliens had a very different physical appearance to us. How do we know these Martians will be able to understand our body language?"  
  
"We don't," Sawyer replied. "But, until further notice, let's act like they can, OK?" Hartdegen nodded.  
  
"Right," Sawyer said, before glancing over to Jekyll. "If you let Hyde out right now, will he be prepared to just watch and not go around attacking us?"  
  
Jekyll waited for a couple of minutes, and then shook his head.  
  
"He says no, but I get the impression he's lying," he said to Sawyer. "If they prove hostile, I'll let him out, but not otherwise."  
  
"Well, fair enough," Sawyer said, as he looked around at the others and starting to issue orders. "Skinner, get your face paint off in the event of these guys turning out to be hostile. Logan, get your claws out. Jekyll, keep your serum available. Hartdegen, get yourself, Terry and I some weapons. Not too big, but tough enough to do some damage."  
  
"Check," Hartdegen said, as he headed back to the car. He came back with three moderately long rifles in his hands, two of which he handed over to Terry and Sawyer while he kept the third for himself.  
  
"Something's coming!" Skinner yelled, looking over at the cylinder. The League looked and saw that he was correct; the top of it was nearly completely unscrewed, and as he spoke it detached from the rest.  
  
As the cylinder opened, a large grey creature, almost the size of a bear, rose slowly and painfully out of it. It had two large, dark-coloured eyes, with a lipless V-shaped mouth underneath it that constantly panted and dripped saliva. It had a vast amount of tentacles which reminding Nemo of a picture of a Gorgon he'd seen in a Greek mythology book, a couple of which appeared to be holding some kind of weapon. "Ugly sucker, isn't it?" Skinner whispered to Jekyll.  
  
"We probably don't look any better to it, Skinner," Jekyll replied. At the same time, Sawyer was walking forward, his rifle by his side and his hands held up before him in a peaceful gesture.  
  
*****  
  
"Um, hi," he said to the Martian. He mentally kicked himself; first contact between mankind and another species and he had to just go and say 'Um, hi'? He'd need to think of something better now to make up for that.  
  
"I'm Tom Sawyer of the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Earth's representatives to meet you," he said. That sounded better, he thought to himself. "We come in peace, and would be glad to talk with you."  
  
The Martian looked over at him with something that, in humans, Sawyer would have thought to be disdain, but with an alien he couldn't be sure. Then the Martian raised its weapon and pointed it at Sawyer.  
  
Instantly, reflex took over and Sawyer ducked down, yelling to the League to do the same as he did so. As they ducked, one of the weapons fired, and it struck a tree behind them.  
  
The League didn't need Logan's enhanced sense of smell to know what had just happened; the stench of burning was very apparent.  
  
"Some kind of heat ray!" Jekyll yelled, the scientist in him overcoming his temporary terror.  
  
"We noticed!" Sawyer yelled back, before he pulled his Winchester out of its holster and fired a shot at the Martian's weapon.  
  
It struck the weapon that the alien held in the right bunch of tentacles, blowing it in two and knocking it out of the Martian's hand. With an expression that Sawyer took to be outrage on its face, the Martian pointed its other weapon at Sawyer...  
  
And he didn't have another bullet in his gun!  
  
I'm in trouble, he thought to himself. He prepared to dive to the side, even though he had little to no chance of succeeding...  
  
And, suddenly, the Martian's other weapon broke neatly in two as well.  
  
Amazed at his luck, Sawyer glanced back at the others to see if it had been any of them. But no; Skinner, Jekyll, Mina, Logan and Frank hadn't bought any weapons but themselves, Nemo only had his sword, and although Hartdegen and Terry were carrying guns, neither of them looked like they'd fired them.  
  
Sawyer noted that piece of information and put it in the back of his head; he'd discuss it with the rest of the League when he had the time.  
  
Right now, he had a very disgusting alien to take care of.  
  
Quickly reloading his Winchester, he pointed and fired at the Martian, hoping that its skin was no tougher than the human norm.  
  
It wasn't. The bullet bit right through the Martian's skin, striking it in what appeared to be a vital organ. The Martian opened and closed its mouth in a manner that put Sawyer in mind of someone gasping for air, and then it fell forward and collapsed into the pit.  
  
*****  
  
The League walked forward and peered into the pit at their late adversary.  
  
"That didn't go very well, did it?" Skinner commented, staring at the corpse in the ground.  
  
"That has to be the greatest understatement I have ever heard anyone make," Mina said, looking over at Skinner. "We're sent here to make peaceful contact with these people, they attack us, we're forced to shoot the first one we see. If that's a promising beginning, I'd hate to see a bad beginning."  
  
"Yeah, I know, but they did start shooting first, Mina," Sawyer said, looking over at his lover. "If nothing else, we didn't exactly start shooting unprovoked."  
  
"It's still not a very promising start," Hartdegen put in.  
  
"Well, at least this is over," Terry commented. Just then, another figure clambered out of the ship, and looked over at the League. The Martian had an expression that appeared to be rage on its face, but due it being another species it was hard to tell if that was an accurate assessment.  
  
"Oh nuts," Sawyer said, as the Martian leapt towards him.  
  
Just before it struck him, however, there was a blur in front of Sawyer's eyes and someone grabbed the Martian by the head.  
  
It was Mina.  
  
"If you even try to punch Tom, you will have a great deal of problems on whatever your species has for hands," she coldly informed the Martian. Then she twisted its head violently, and it collapsed to the ground.  
  
The League looked over at Mina.  
  
"Wow..." Logan said, looking at the new corpse. "I wouldn't like to get on your wrong side, Mrs Harker."  
  
"No, you wouldn't," Mina replied, smiling slightly. Then she groaned and looked down at the corpse. "This situation is getting more and more awkward. That's two Martians dead already, and we haven't even tried to talk to them."  
  
"Excuse me, Mina?" Skinner called out incredulously. "These guys have tried to kill us twice already, and you want to try and talk to them?"  
  
"Well, it can't hurt to try," Frank said, shrugging his shoulders. However, none of the League were looking very cheerful; on the contrary, they were all lost in thought, wondering what they were to do now.  
  
*****  
  
Eventually, after a couple of minutes of silence, Hartdegen sighed and looked around at the others. "Shall we go back to talk things over with Mycroft?"  
  
"Probably best," Sawyer replied. "If nothing else, he needs to know about the recent turn of events."  
  
With that, the League turned around and headed back to the car. However, Terry remained where he was, holding his gun and waiting at the edge of the pit.  
  
Sawyer glanced back and saw the machine standing there. "Um, Terry, what are you doing there?" he asked.  
  
"Someone must remain to ensure that any remaining Martians do not escape and start killing innocent people," Terry replied. "Since I am capable of remaining here without falling asleep or getting stiff, I am the logical choice. Besides, I am also strong enough to do a fair amount of damage to the Martians even without my gun."  
  
By this point the rest of the League had stopped to listen to Terry's reasons as well. Sawyer looked over at them and raised an inquisitive eyebrow to ask for their opinion. The League nodded.  
  
Sawyer glanced back at Terry. "OK then. Just, if it looks like something's going to happen that you can't handle by yourself, don't fight it, OK? I'd rather not have anyone dying right now."  
  
"Check," Terry replied simply.  
  
Despite himself, Sawyer couldn't help but smile. Terry was already starting to sound more human than he had on his arrival; it wasn't too long ago that he'd have replied with 'Affirmative', or something similar.  
  
"See you later," he said, waving back at Terry as the League got into the car and drove off.  
  
*****  
  
As he stood above the Martian ship, Terry removed the pince-nez from his nose and slipped them into his pocket. Looking at the Martian ship, he instantly shifted his vision into scanning mode, and began to gather all the information he could about the ship. He may have difficulty in explaining to the League some of his discoveries, but he would work on that problem later.  
  
Right now, he had to gather the greatest weapon against the Martians that he could, and that was information about their strengths and weaknesses.  
  
If he had been human, he'd have been hoping that they'd get a chance to use that information against the Martians before it was too late.  
  
But he wasn't, so he didn't. He just gathered the information that was required, and stored it away for later. 


	4. Why they've Come

Disclaimer: The usual: I own nothing you know, that sort of thing.  
  
Feedback: Please do.  
  
Worlds at War  
  
"So, let me see if I understand you correctly," Mycroft Holmes said, as he spoke to the League in the underground room. "You made contact with the Martians. They shot at you. Then you killed it, after its guns were destroyed by you. Then a second one tried to attack you, and was killed by Mrs Harker. Correct?"  
  
"Pretty much, yeah," Sawyer replied. He hadn't mentioned the fact that he hadn't destroyed the second gun; he'd prefer to cover that factor once they had time for explanations.  
  
"Well, this is not good," Mycroft sighed, as he sat back in his seat. "Now that we've killed two Martians, they may be less willing to open up negotiations with us than before, not that they were probably eager to in the first place."  
  
"Yeah," Skinner pointed out. "I mean, did it ever occur to anyone that maybe they came to Earth in order to make it theirs?"  
  
Everyone looked over at Skinner, a look of growing horror on their faces.  
  
"What?" Skinner asked, sounding a little less confident than he had before. "Did I do something wrong?"  
  
"No," Mina said, speaking for them all. "But you may have thought of something there..." She looked over at Mycroft. "Is there a book on the solar system here somewhere?"  
  
"Yes, just over there, I think," Mycroft said, indicating a nearby shelf. Quickly, Mina got out of her seat and headed over to the shelf, followed by Sawyer and Jekyll, with the rest of the League craning to see the book over the other's shoulders.  
  
Mina flicked through the book for a few minutes, and eventually stopped on one page. She looked over at Sawyer. "We may have a problem."  
  
"Scratch the 'may', Mina," Sawyer replied, as he took the book from her and began to read the page she'd been looking at. "If this is accurate, everything that's happened to us so far takes on a far more chilling aspect than it had already."  
  
"What?" Skinner yelled from the back of the League. "What what what what what?" Sawyer looked back at the rest. "According to this book, Mars is far older than the Earth, and, if there is life on it, it's been developing since the Earth was still just a mass of molten rock."  
  
"So?" Skinner asked.  
  
"Be sensible, Skinner," Nemo said, sighing at the invisible man. "If Mars is older than Earth, than logically it is nearer the end of its life than Earth is. Therefore, the Martians will want to survive the destruction of their world. Therefore, they will logically attempt to take over the nearest planet they can reach so that they have a home they can go to after its death."  
  
"And the nearest inhabitable planet is this one," Logan said, looking at the rest as that fact sunk in. They were dealing with an entire species that had nothing to lose and everything to gain by fighting them, in a number that was totally unknown, and they also had incredibly advanced technology.  
  
The League were in trouble now.  
  
Still, when had they ever been out of it in their new career together?  
  
"Shall we get going now?" Hartdegen asked, looking around at his friends. "After all, no time like the present."  
  
"You'd know, I suppose," Frank put in bluntly, as they began to walk up the stairs, leaving Mycroft behind them.  
  
Hartdegen smiled a little at that comment. He did, didn't he?  
  
*****  
  
As they began to drive back to the field where they'd left Terry, Nemo took the wheel to allow Sawyer the chance to talk with the others.  
  
"So, anyone got any ideas about where we begin to fight the Martians?" he asked, deciding to get the obvious issues out of the way first.  
  
"Maybe we could examine the ship," Jekyll said. "After all, it must contain some clues about the Martians strengths and weaknesses."  
  
Mina sighed. "A sensible suggestion, Doctor, but with two flaws. Firstly, it is highly unlikely that we will be able to understand their technology. Secondly, it would surely be more practical to study the body of the Martian that we have already killed and study it to find a weakness that is possessed by the species itself.  
  
*****  
  
You really should learn to look at everything, Henry, Hyde said in his head.  
  
Shut up, Edward, Jekyll thought. You may say I make mistakes, but I notice that you didn't make any conclusions of your own.  
  
Hyde shut up at that. Realising that his little... talk... with Hyde had made him miss part of the conversation, he tried to see if he could catch up.  
  
Frank was currently saying, "Even if we got the body, who's to say we could find a weakness? After all, nobody's been able to pin down exactly what's different about Logan, so maybe we won't be able to pin down a weakness for them."  
  
"It cannot hurt to try," Nemo put in from the driver's seat. "If it fails, we will have lost nothing, but if we succeed, we may have gained something that will make all the difference between winning and loosing."  
  
"Plus," Hartdegen added, his face lighting up as inspiration struck him, "Even if we can't find anything, there's no reason why technology in the future won't be able to."  
  
"Excellent!" Sawyer smiled, patting the time traveller on the shoulder in a congratulating manner. "You know, it's that kind of thinking that shows what you contribute to the League beyond your machine."  
  
*****  
  
After several short lines of basically inane chatter, consisting of things like whether Skinner's attempts to cure his invisibility were making any progress, the League finally pulled into the field where they had left Terry. However...  
  
"Oh my god..." Sawyer said, as he got out of the car and stared at the scene of carnage in front of him.  
  
It was terrible. Something had apparently charged in through one of the fences, firing what looked like another heat ray at the field, turning everything in its path to a crisp. The Martian ship had been burnt beyond repair, the two Martian bodies had apparently been reduced to a pile of ashes, and as for Terry...  
  
Well, it appeared he had been lucky. He was lying off to the side of the main hole, clutching his gun in his hand. The coat of Skinner's that he'd claimed for himself was badly burnt down at the bottom, now reduced to about half of its original length, and his other clothes were smouldering slightly at the back. However, he himself appeared relatively unharmed, apart from some of the hair on the back of his head having been burnt away.  
  
As the League got out of the car, he raised his head and looked back at them. Things didn't look too bad there either; his pince-nez were cracked, but his skin and eyes were unharmed.  
  
He nodded at them.  
  
"You're back," he said simply. Then he got up off the ground and dusted himself down. His clothes had some small red markings on them that may have been blood, but it was hard to tell from this distance. Besides, he wasn't even sure if Terry had blood- at least, blood like humans had.  
  
"W-what happened to you?" Jekyll asked, shaken at his friend's condition; it took a lot to hurt Terry, and no human could have done that.  
  
"Another Martian ship," Terry replied simply, as the rest of the League joined Jekyll in examining his wounds. "This one was different; it was on long legs and was capable of independent motion. It managed to fire off several heat bursts at me, vaporising the Martian corpse and the broken ship, and almost destroyed me. I only just managed to retreat to safety and avoid being vaporised."  
  
*****  
  
The League looked at each other in terror with that statement. Mobile Martian ships? The Fantom's tanks had been deadly enough, based on what they'd read in the files; the last thing they needed was this!  
  
"We have a problem," Frank whispered to nobody in particular, after an ominous silence had descended on the League, covering them with its bleak embrace for some minutes.  
  
"That is an understatement, Frank," Sawyer commented, as he looked down at the ground.  
  
Logan groaned and glanced around at the others. "Any ideas, guys?"  
  
"Well, Hyde's in favour of all of us chasing that ship and seeing how much damage it can do to us, but that's just him," Jekyll put, sounding like he was having one of his better days where Hyde was concerned; at least he wasn't trembling and stuttering.  
  
The League looked over at each other. Sawyer noticed that at least he wasn't the only one who was giving that idea some thought; Nemo and Hartdegen were looking very thoughtful, as though the Martians were a scientific equation that they needed to crack, Frank and Logan looked like they were looking forward to a fight, and Mina... well, on the surface she looked very calm, but Sawyer knew that she was already going over what they knew of the Martians and what they needed to know.  
  
Terry and Skinner were basic enigmas; after all, Terry had no real body language and Skinner's was difficult to read even with his coat.  
  
"Shall we?" he asked, cocking his Winchester.  
  
Mina looked at him and smiled. "Why not?" She glanced back at Terry. "Should the ship still be within range of us?"  
  
"Based on the length of its stride and the immediate terrain, there is no reason why, at top speed, we should not be able to catch up with it in the car," Terry replied.  
  
"Let's roll," Sawyer replied. He glanced over at Jekyll. "Keep your serum available." He turned his head to face Skinner. "Get ready for action."  
  
He never liked telling Skinner directly to get undressed; he thought it sounded sick.  
  
"Check!" Skinner replied, as he shrugged off his coat and stuffed his hat in his pocket. From where he was standing, footprints then appeared between him and the car, before a door opened and his distinctive voice was heard.  
  
"All aboard!" he said, sounding like he was grinning.  
  
*****  
  
The League looked at each other and shrugged. Quickly they are jumped into the car, Sawyer taking the wheel. He quickly pushed the pedals down and tore forward, bursting through the fragile strands of the fence that were left after the Martians had torn through it.  
  
Even as he hit the button that retracted the roof of the car and felt the cool wind blowing on his face, however, his mind was unable to get away from two rather frustrating topics.  
  
One was the mission. If they beat the Martians in this fight, or at least fought them to a stalemate, they would have a better idea of what their capabilities were in combat. The alternative was far more horrifying; if they fell, then the whole world would be in danger.  
  
The other was a far more puzzling thing.  
  
Who had destroyed the Martian's second weapon? 


	5. The Second Fight

Disclaimer: The usual: I own nothing you know, that sort of thing.  
  
Feedback: Please do.  
  
Worlds at War  
  
Eventually, after almost half an hour's solid driving, which had nearly resulted in the car hitting a couple of farmers and various kinds of cattle, they were finally within visual range of the Martian ship.  
  
Terry's basic description really was basic, Sawyer thought to himself, as the Martian ship's full height became apparent.  
  
It appeared to be about five times the size of Edward Hyde, maybe even six times. The ridiculous part was that the ship's legs, of which it had three, took up almost all of that height. They looked too thin and spindly to support anything as heavy as what was above them; a large cylinder that looked like the form they'd seen lying in the field, but somehow more threatening.  
  
"HEY, MARTIAN!" Sawyer yelled, as Nemo took the wheel and he got onto his feet, wielding his Winchester. "CARE TO TRY AND TAKE US?!"  
  
Despite the fact that the creatures inside it probably didn't even understand the language that was being yelled at them, the Martian ship stopped walking forward and turned to face the League.  
  
Sawyer took his chance.  
  
He fired. Whether or not it would work was a valid point, but he had to try, at least. The bullet from his Winchester stuck the Martian ship and ricocheted off to the side. Well, at least I aimed at an odd angle, Sawyer thought to himself, as the bullet struck a nearby tree. Then he got back to the matter at hand.  
  
"Let's go!" he yelled. Instantly, Mina, Frank, Terry and Logan leapt out of the car, heading towards the Martian ship. At the same time, Nemo hit the brakes, and Jekyll leapt out of the car. Jekyll pulled out a phial of his formula and swallowed it, changing into Hyde while Sawyer, Nemo, Skinner and Hartdegen grabbed some guns from the boot. However, Skinner didn't put his coat back on; he wanted to be ready for action if the need arose, no matter how unlikely that appeared at present.  
  
As the transformation finished, Hyde roared in rage and charged towards the Martian ship. He grabbed the leg nearest to him, planted his feet firmly on the ground, and pulled. Evidently he was trying to pull it down, although he didn't seem to be having much luck; in fact, it pulled him off his feet and continued to walk onwards, with Hyde clutching its leg like a baby unwilling to let its mother leave it behind.  
  
"HELP!" he yelled at the others, in a very uncharacteristic voice of helplessness. The League needed no encouragement. Instantly, Frank, Terry and Logan leapt for one of the legs, Logan landing on the same leg as Hyde. In the meantime, Hyde had managed to haul himself up  
  
At the same time, Mina flew up onto the main Martian ship, and began desperately slashing at the hard metal exterior.  
  
"Get down!" Sawyer yelled, as Skinner, Nemo and Hartdegen raised their guns. "We're about to fire!"  
  
Mina looked back at Sawyer and shook her head.  
  
"I don't need to jump, Tom!" she yelled at her partner. "So long as you don't hit my heart, I'll be fine! Just shoot! We have to stop this thing before it reaches a city!"  
  
Sawyer briefly wavered in indecision, uncertain what would be the right move to make right now. Then, his mind made up, he looked back up at Mina.  
  
"Got it!" he yelled up at her, before he glanced back at the others. "You heard the lady, guys! Open fire!"  
  
The four of them did so, their guns blazing with a quickness that made the Fantom's automatic rifles look slow by comparison. The bullets showered over the massive vehicle with all the persistence of a heavy rain shower, but did about as much damage as the rain did to a human building. The Martians didn't even respond to the bullets; it was though they weren't even there.  
  
*****  
  
Looking around himself, Edward Hyde saw that the Martian ship was approaching the outskirts of a forest. It didn't appear to want to enter the forest itself, but it was going around it so fast that Hyde doubted it would make much difference.  
  
Growling with anger at the alien device that was dragging him along, Hyde reached out with one arm and grabbed a nearby tree. Seeing what he was doing, Logan stuck his claws in the same tree. Instantly, the Martian ship stopped. It may have been able to carry six people on its outside, but tearing a tree out of the ground was another matter.  
  
Hyde looked up at the Martian ship, and grinned.  
  
"Is this all you've got?!" he yelled up at it. "I faced a tougher challenge from the Fantom's soldiers, and they were only human!"  
  
A large thing that looked like a gun dropped out of the bottom of the ship and pointed towards Hyde.  
  
"Ah crap," he whispered, as the weapon fired a heat ray.  
  
Acting like lighting, Hyde let go of the tree and jumped for his life, landing beside the car. Logan leapt higher up the leg, landing just a few inches away from the main Martian ship.  
  
The heat ray struck the leg of the Martian ship, but did nothing more than turn the leg slightly black.  
  
*****  
  
Nemo noted the heat ray's affect on the Martian ship's leg with a slight tinge of annoyance; it looked like they didn't even have the option of stealing one of the Martian's weapons to use against them. Still, it didn't prevent him from continuing to cover the Martian cylinder with bullets, desperately hoping to get in a lucky shot.  
  
"They're getting out of range!" Hartdegen yelled at Sawyer.  
  
"Yeah, and it's showing no signs of falling, even with the aid of the others!" Skinner called out to his friend at the same time. "Any ideas, Sawyer?!"  
  
Sawyer nodded. "I have one, Skinner. It's time for a change of tactics!" he yelled, discarding his guns and sliding back into the driver's seat. "Hold on!" he called back to Nemo, Skinner and Hartdegen. The three of them barely had enough time to get into a better position before they were tearing after the Martian ship.  
  
"Keep firing!" Sawyer yelled back at them. "The whole point of me doing this was to keep us within gunshot range! We have to keep on trying to bring this stupid thing down, at least!"  
  
Nodding, the other three pulled out their weapons and began to fire their weapons all over again. The bullets were still not having much effect, but at least they were keeping up with the Martians.  
  
I just hope something happens to turn the tide of battle, Sawyer reflected to himself as he crashed through the fragile remains of a fence. Otherwise, we don't even have a prayer against an entire species.  
  
*****  
  
Meanwhile, Hyde had shaken himself back to reality and was charging after the rapidly escaping Martian ship. He may not have been as fast as Nemo's car, but he could still outpace any normal human even on one of his weaker days.  
  
Any suggestions, Henry? he asked his other self. Hyde didn't normally talk with Jekyll like this, but he had to admit these were desperate circumstances.  
  
One, Jekyll replied. Maybe we could try and knock the Martians down? If you can get onto the cylinder with Mina, your extra weight might be enough to tip it off balance. If not, we could try and call up the rest of them to achieve that goal.  
  
It has to be worth a try, Hyde admitted. Timing himself, he leapt straight for the nearest leg, landing almost halfway up it. It was the one he'd been on before, but fortunately he'd landed above the blackened area where he'd been previously; from what he could feel, it was still remarkably hot. Glancing up, he saw that Logan was desperately slashing at the ship where it joined on to the leg, but wasn't having much luck.  
  
"Logan!" he yelled up at the little man. Logan glanced down at him. "Jump onto the cylinder! I have a plan!"  
  
Nodding, Logan leapt up onto the Martian cylinder, vanishing from view. Hyde vaguely heard a brief roar of pain, and couldn't help but give a small grin; it sounded like Logan had landed on Mina. Then he scrambled up the leg like a monkey up a tree, and scrambled on to the top of the cylinder.  
  
Mina glanced over at Hyde, her normally pristine face stained with sweat and a couple of small scratches. The most notable one was above her left eye, but it didn't seem to be anything serious.  
  
"I hear you have a plan?" she asked, cocking her right eyebrow at Hyde.  
  
"Well, it's mostly Henry's really," Hyde replied. "He thinks that, if we put enough weight on this cylinder, we might be able to make this thing fall over." Mina and Logan looked at each other and nodded.  
  
"It's worth a shot," Logan commented.  
  
"We can but try," Mina agreed. "Even if the ship isn't destroyed, it should be immobilised long enough for us to tear it apart. Right then," she said, as she turned to face Hyde. "We'd better try and tip it in your direction; any other and the chances are greater that Frank or Terry will get hurt."  
  
Hyde nodded. Turning around, he dug his hands as far into the Martian ship as they could go, and leaned over the side of the ship as though trying to peek over the side. Beside him, Logan dug his claws into the ship as far as he could (Which, given that they were merely bone, wasn't that far), and Mina stuck her nails into the ship as well. The last had more effect, given that her vampire blood meant that her nails were durable enough to stick in solid rock. The ship was a lot harder than rocks, Hyde knew, but her claws were still strong enough to get some of the way in.  
  
"Let's go!" Mina yelled, as the ship began to walk forward again.  
  
All three of them instantly leaned over the side. Instantly, the Martian ship began to tilt, wavering dangerously on the edge. Before the ship's controllers could adjust themselves to compensate, the ship's two front legs had been torn off the ground, and the ship was heading for the earth.  
  
"JUMP!" Mina yelled. Logan and Hyde needed no encouragement; all three of them leapt from the Martian ship, landing just in front of the car. Fortunately Sawyer had hit the brakes before they landed, but even then the car was still uncomfortably close to hitting Logan's head.  
  
Looking back, Mina saw that the Martian ship had taken a definite beating, with the front part now nearly gone, but Terry and Frank had gotten out of the fall unharmed; they'd both leapt to the side of their respective legs.  
  
*****  
  
As Frank and Terry hit the ground, they glanced back at the Martian vessel. It didn't appear to be in any fit shape to walk, but Frank still felt like making sure that its pilots wouldn't be coming back.  
  
"Shall we?" he asked Terry, glancing over at his strange new friend.  
  
"Shall we what?" Terry replied, looking over at him blankly.  
  
Frank rolled his eyes. This guy may have been good for raw power and military tactics, but he seemed to be totally clueless about basic slang.  
  
"Shall we make sure the Martians are dead?" Frank asked, looking over at Terry inquiringly.  
  
"Yes," Terry replied. With that, the two of them walked towards the ship. As they neared it, Logan ran round from the other side to join them.  
  
"Um, what's going on here?" he asked, a little confused.  
  
"We are simply confirming that the Martians are dead," Terry replied to Logan. "Tell the others to wait here. We'll be back." Then Terry placed his hands inside a large crack in the Martian ship and tore it open. He then walked in, as casually as if it was just another room.  
  
Looking over at Logan, Frank simply shrugged and walked in after Terry.  
  
*****  
  
The interior of the Martian ship was remarkably complicated, filled with all kinds of machines that reminded Terry of the technology from his own time of origin. Lying in front of two large blank squares, which Terry identified as the Martian's computer screens, were the two Martian pilots.  
  
Dazed, but getting back up.  
  
"Be ready," Terry informed Frank. "They're recovering."  
  
"Got you," Frank replied, tensing himself. Terry could sense that Frank just wanted to dive in and attack the Martians, but was restraining himself from acting too impulsively. Terry thought he understood Frank's reasons for that; Mary Shelley's Frankenstein was one of the numerous human novels Skynet had programmed him with so he could better understand the human mind. As he recalled, Frank had committed many murders in that book, and he must now see the League as a means for redemption. If he struck the Martians down before they could fight back, how was he any better now than he was back then?  
  
*****  
  
After a few seconds of confusion, the Martians were up and looking around. They saw Frank and Terry, and instantly pulled out two of their heat ray weapons.  
  
Frank held up his hands in a calming gesture. "OK," he said, in a very professional manner. "We can do this the easy way, or the hard way. Your choice."  
  
The Martians' tentacles began to tighten around their guns.  
  
"DUCK!" Terry yelled, as he instantly dropped down onto his knees. Frank reacted a little slower, but still managed to hit the ground right before the Martians fired their heat ray.  
  
Rolling to the side, Terry pulled out his gun and fired it at the Martian. It may have been only a pistol, and it didn't pack as much of a punch as Sawyer's Winchester, but it still did some damage.  
  
Especially since Terry had managed to hit the Martian right in its eye.  
  
Screaming and writhing in pain, the Martian collapsed onto the ground, dying in slow, terrible agony.  
  
The other Martian looked over at the body of its fellow, and then looked up at Terry with what appeared to be anger in its eyes. However, before it could attack, Frank had grabbed its head, twisted it in a 180 degree turn, and it was dead.  
  
Terry looked up at Frank. "Thank you."  
  
Frank shrugged. "You'd do the same for me," he said simply. "Now, let's go." Terry nodded, and the two of them walked out of the Martian ship.  
  
*****  
  
As they walked out of the Martian ship and over to the rest of the League, Frank dusted himself down and looked over at the destroyed ship.  
  
"That went well enough," he said, looking over at the other League members. Hartdegen groaned. "Frank, we nearly got Hyde and Logan killed, you and Terry could have been crushed by the falling ship, and our bullets did practically nothing when we were trying to bring it down. I don't know about you, but I don't call that a good job."  
  
Frank shrugged. "We survived, didn't we?" he replied. "And," he added, jerking his thumb back at the Martian ship, "We know it's possible to defeat them."  
  
"Yes, but only after a great deal of effort," Mina put in. "Somehow, I find it unlikely that we'll be able to pull off that stunt on every single Martian ship that lands here to conquer the planet. We need to find an easier weakness if we're going to have a chance of winning."  
  
"I have a suggestion," Terry put in. "While I was waiting for you all to return I took detailed scans of the Martian's corpse. I discovered some-"  
  
Just then, Logan raised one angry finger, made all the more noticeable by the claw that he stuck up beside it.  
  
"Wait a minute," he said, sounding extremely annoyed. "You found out information about the Martians, and you didn't tell us?! Why not?"  
  
"There was no opportunity to do so," Terry replied simply. "You were all occupied with chasing down the Martian ship that had attacked me. Besides, it seemed logical to test out the durability of the ship itself and discover whether or not we could stop it with our current resources."  
  
"Oh, so you didn't particularly care about telling us that right then?" Sawyer butted in. "We could have died, Terry!"  
  
"No," Terry replied, still as annoyingly blunt as ever. "If there had been a chance that you and Mina Harker would have been terminated, I would have intervened. My mission is to protect you, remember? Besides, I concluded that, with our available weapons, we had a fair chance of stopping one Martian ship at the very least."  
  
*****  
  
Sawyer sighed. He had to admit it, Terry had a point.  
  
"Yeah, fair enough," he sighed. Then he looked over at Terry. "Just one thing, OK? When we're in danger, help everyone, OK? Don't just focus on me and Mina."  
  
"I shall remember that," Terry replied.  
  
Sawyer nodded as thanks. He knew that Terry meant what he was saying. Whatever else Terry's flaws were, you couldn't call him a liar.  
  
Then he got back to the business at hand.  
  
"So, Terry, what did you find out about the Martians from your survey?"  
  
"That they have a remarkably weak immune system to Earth diseases," Terry replied. "In other words, conceivably they could be killed by the common cold."  
  
The League stared a little at that statement. Skinner laughing, however, eventually broke the silence.  
  
"Who'd have thought it, huh?" he asked when he'd stopped, sounding like he was fighting to not laugh. "Mass alien murderers, and they can be killed by a cold?! We've won!"  
  
"Except for one thing, Skinner," Mina put in as she glanced back at the floating coat that signified Skinner. "How do you propose we give the entire Martian species a cold? Sneeze on them?"  
  
"Of course not, Mina!" Skinner replied, sounding angry. "I was more thinking that we... that we..." He stopped and looked around at the others. "I missed a crucial part here, didn't I?"  
  
"Exactly," Sawyer replied, hoisting his Winchester up onto his shoulder. "It's all well and good to say 'Let's give the Martians a cold', but there's a bit of a jump between decision and action. Anyone got any ideas?"  
  
"I do have a suggestion," Hartdegen put in.  
  
"Let's hear it," Hyde grunted, looking slightly on edge from the lack of anything to hit.  
  
"Well, in the future, some military corporations have been developing germ bombs- bombs that release a virus upon exploding, infecting anything within a certain radius," Hartdegen explained. "Now, it's only a thought, and not a guaranteed thing, but I could go into the future and see if any of my contacts would be willing to construct one of those for me, but filled with the common cold virus."  
  
The League looked around at each other, each one slowly starting to nod in agreement.  
  
"No harm in trying," Sawyer said, looking back at Hartdegen with a grin. "It's not like we have any other options, and your contacts do have a great interest in insuring we succeed in our mission."  
  
"Right then," Hartdegen said, heading back to the car. "Let's get going; we don't have much time to get back to the Nautilus!"  
  
"Seconded, thirded, and motion carried," Skinner said, as the League got back into the car and began to drive back the way they'd come.  
  
*****  
  
After about two hour's solid driving, the League pulled up at the dock where they had left the Nautilus. As they got out, the large form of Nemo's incredible ship rose out of the ground, like the lost city of Atlantis returning to the world it had long abandoned. As the Nautilus finished rising, one hatch on the side dropped and Nemo's first mate, Patel, walked out of the ship.  
  
"Good to see you back, Captain," Patel nodded at the Indian.  
  
"It is good to be back, Patel," Nemo smiled at the man. Then, his face hardened. "Tell the crew to arm themselves for battle. We may require assistance here."  
  
"Very well," Patel replied, as he turned back towards the Nautilus. Just before he entered, he turned back at looked at Nemo. "Anything else, Captain?"  
  
Nemo glanced back at Hartdegen. Hartdegen shook his head.  
  
Nemo turned back to Patel. "No, Patel. Thank you for asking, though."  
  
"That's what I'm here for, Captain," Patel replied, before entering the Nautilus and vanishing from view.  
  
"Well, I'd best be off," Hartdegen said, as he headed into the Nautilus, heading for his cabin. "Time waits for no man, even with a time machine."  
  
"We'll be out here when you're done!" Sawyer called in after the former teacher.  
  
"I'll remember that!" Hartdegen called back, before his footsteps were out of hearing range. 


	6. One Last Chance

Disclaimer: The usual: I own nothing you know, that sort of thing.  
  
Feedback: Please do.  
  
Worlds at War  
  
As soon as he'd vanished, the air behind the car began to ripple and distort in a very familiar manner. As the time machine materialised right beside them, the League noted that Hartdegen, who was sitting in the main seat, was holding a small grey cylinder in his lap, about half the height of a man and nearly as wide. It had a skull and crossbones on one side, with one word written underneath in red: DANGER.  
  
"That's it?" Skinner asked, looking at the cylinder as Hartdegen finally solidified. The former teacher groaned and passed the cylinder over to Frank before getting out of the chair himself.  
  
"Don't start criticising me, Skinner," he said, sounding slightly aggravated. "It took ages for the scientists there to be persuaded to create a bomb that released the cold, and then there was the problems with finding everything they needed. So just knock it off, OK?"  
  
Skinner gulped; Hartdegen may have been only human, but he was still a very dangerous man to be on the wrong side of.  
  
"Check," he squeaked.  
  
"Right," Hartdegen said. He turned back towards Sawyer. "They did their best, but unfortunately the bomb can only be activated one of two ways. One is by a timer- as in, it will go off after a certain length of time."  
  
"I see," Sawyer said. "Well, that won't work- we can't guarantee we'll get the Martians there in time. The other?"  
  
Hartdegen sighed. "Someone sets it off manually. I'm sorry, but this kind of bomb was designed with the idea of being used to take out enemy agents in their headquarters. Nobody ever anticipated designing one for this kind of situation; the only other bomb they had was one that was designed to be dropped from the air, and, well..." he shrugged sheepishly.  
  
"Yeah, I know," Sawyer replied. "Mina may be able to fly at night, but there's no guarantee we can wait until her bats are at full strength." Then a thought occurred to him, and he glanced over at Mina. "Is that accurate?"  
  
"Yes," Mina replied. "As things currently stand, my bats could lift me up for a while, but not high enough to drop anything effectively. Anyway, I doubt they could carry me and a bomb."  
  
"Right then," Sawyer replied, glancing around at the others. "We need to find some way to lure the Martians to wherever we plant the bomb, and then set it off. Did you find any news on how many ships are around right now while you were away?" he asked Hartdegen.  
  
"I checked some records in my spare time," Hartdegen replied. "The theory people have in the future is that the Martians were sending an advance party to check out the situation on Earth before they took it over completely; they only ever sent about eight ships to Earth. And that number's including the two we've already destroyed."  
  
"So, just six left to stop," Skinner reflected. "Well, that ain't so bad."  
  
"It isn't brilliant either, Skinner," Sawyer commented. "Even assuming we can lure the Martians into one location, who's going to set off the bomb? I mean, the cold may defeat the Martians, but whoever's right beside is going to be in a spot of bother."  
  
"I'll do it," Logan said. The League looked at him, and Logan shrugged. "Well, why not? My increased healing should shake the cold off in a few minutes; I don't recall spending a single day sick since I gained my powers."  
  
"Worth a shot," Sawyer shrugged. Then he looked around at the others. "OK guys, let's get ready."  
  
"What's the plan?" Skinner asked.  
  
"First; pick a good area to plant the bomb," Sawyer replied.  
  
"The fields where we had our first fight with them?" Jekyll suggested.  
  
"Perfect. Near enough that we can get there quickly, but not so near that innocents may get hurt." Sawyer nodded at Jekyll as thanks before continuing. "Second; find the Martians. Terry, Frank, Mina, Jekyll, Hartdegen, Skinner; you guys see what you can do about luring five of the Martians to the field; Nemo and I will handle the sixth. Logan, you'll be at the field to set off the bomb. Skinner, Hartdegen, find something fast to use as transport; Nemo and I will have the car, and everyone else is pretty fast by themselves, but you'll be in trouble. Everyone good with that?"  
  
*****  
  
The majority of the League nodded, but Frank looked uncertain.  
  
"A problem, Frank?" Sawyer asked, looking over at the monster.  
  
"Just one or two, really," Frank replied. "I get how we're going to lure the Martians into the field, but how do we make them stay there once we've left?"  
  
"That task is easy enough," Nemo put in before Sawyer could reply. "I have several guns loaded in the back of my automobile still. We can surround the field and use them to keep the Martians inside it until Mr Logan can unleash the virus. Now, the second one?"  
  
"How do we prevent ourselves from succumbing to the virus? Surely we can't guarantee the wind won't blow it towards us, or that the blast radius is small enough to not hurt us."  
  
"Well, I anticipated that little problem," Hartdegen replied, as he reached into his pocket and pulled out nine small masks. They appeared to be built to fit over the faces of each member of the League. "Gas masks," he said, passing one out to each League member baring Logan. "I'd recommend putting them on just before Logan unleashes the virus; that way, they won't be able to anticipate what we're planning before it's too late."  
  
"Excellent," Sawyer said to Nemo and Hartdegen, grinning at his friends. As the former agent looked around at his teammates, he felt unshakeably proud at being a member of this team. On impulse, he held his right hand out in front of him. It was quickly joined by the hands of Mina and Skinner, with Jekyll following up shortly after. Eventually, the hands of all nine members of the League were on top of each other. Sawyer looked around at all the others, and he whispered a brief statement to himself, a statement that was fast becoming his motto. "The game is on."  
  
"And the Martians had better watch out!" Skinner put in.  
  
"Quite," Mina groaned slightly, rolling her eyes at Skinner. Then the League separated and headed towards Nemo's car, ready to find the Martians.  
  
*****  
  
"Dear God..." Nemo whispered to himself, as the League drove through the streets of London, following the train of destruction that the Martians had left behind them. The buildings around them had been utterly devastated by the rampaging aliens, lying around the League in piles that were barely a third of the size they had been when they were intact. They hadn't seen any human bodies yet, but Nemo, for one, was of the opinion that it was only a matter of time.  
  
Then, Hartdegen called out to him to stop. Even as Nemo braked the car, he somehow knew that the former teacher had found. When the League had all gotten out of the car, Nemo saw that his worse fears had been confirmed.  
  
It was a human body, lying face down in the battered rubble that must have once been its home when it was alive. As Skinner turned it over, Nemo saw that it was a young man, barely older than Agent Sawyer, and looking remarkably pale...  
  
"Oh my god..." Mina said, stepping back from the corpse in horror.  
  
"What's wrong?" Logan asked, glancing back at the vampire.  
  
"I've seen enough corpses after I've fed from them to know when a body is missing blood," Mina whispered. "And this body definitely has nothing in its veins."  
  
"Oh god..." Sawyer whispered, looking back at the body. "The Martians' handiwork?"  
  
"Definitely," Terry stated. "I detect traces of Martian technology around this body. They re definitely responsible for the absence of his bodily fluids."  
  
The League looked around at each other, their faces bearing expressions of horror at this statement. Any doubts they had about fighting the Martians were washed away at the discovery of this nightmare.  
  
"Let's go," Sawyer stated simply, cocking his Winchester and heading back to the car, followed closely by the others.  
  
*****  
  
A few minutes later, Terry was running through the streets of London, following a long chain of destruction that the Martians had left behind them. The League had been following the one large trail the Martians had left, but it had eventually split up into six other trails, and each League member had each picked their own. Most of the League, Terry included, were tracking the Martians under their own power, but Sawyer and Nemo were following theirs in Nemo's car, and Skinner and Hartdegen were using a couple of horses they'd managed to acquire from stables near where the paths had split. The horses were shaken, but they wouldn't collapse any time soon.  
  
Terry was feeling as sure as a machine could feel that, with his current weaponry and his own raw power, he had a eight-six point two chance of attracting the attention of the aliens, and the general plan had a sixty- four point seven chance of success without any casualties for the League themselves; not the best chances, but better than it could have been.  
  
There it was. The Martian ship was directly in front of him, firing its heat ray at an old house on the London docks. Based on what he'd heard from the League, Terry estimated a seventy-nine point one chance that the house it was destroying was the house of the immortal who had betrayed the League, Mr Dorian Gray, currently abandoned and uninhabited.  
  
Pulling out his gun, Terry aimed it at the Martian ship. It was a high- powered laser cannon Hartdegen had acquired for Terry on one his trips to the future; it wouldn't do much damage to something with a hull as hard as the Martian's ship was, but it would attract the Martian's attention.  
  
And, after all, that was what was required right now.  
  
Quickly, Terry launched off five shots at the Martian ship, each one striking the exact same place on the hull. It didn't break the hull, but it did make it buckle a great deal. The Martian ship turned around to look at Terry. He felt it start to scan him, but he wasn't prepared to give it that chance; he fired off one final shot at where he thought the scanner was located, and then turned and ran back along the road.  
  
Behind him, he heard the clanking of the Martian ship's legs as it tore on after him. Quickly measuring the space of time between each clank and taking it into account along with the length of the legs, Terry estimated a seventy-three point five percent chance that he would be able to lure the Martians to the field they had in mind without it catching him or getting off a shot at him.  
  
If that wasn't accurate, he had a problem. He couldn't allow himself to get destroyed; his termination would serve no purpose, and would leave Tom Sawyer and Mina Harker more vulnerable to any danger that may strike them.  
  
His mission was to protect them.  
  
He could not allow himself to be terminated until, at the very earliest, they had their children, or his mission would fail.  
  
*****  
  
Meanwhile, in another part of town, Mina was ducking and weaving through the air as the Martian ship fired its heat ray at her while chasing her through the streets.  
  
She'd managed to track it down fairly quickly; the sun was at low ebb, and her bats had been summoned to her almost at once. Once she was airborne, finding the Martian ship hadn't been a problem; the problem was getting away from it. The heat ray possessed by this ship was far more powerful than the previous few she had seen, and they hadn't exactly been weak ones. Her bats were doing a good job protecting her, but she wasn't sure how much longer they could last.  
  
How much longer do I have to go? Mina thought to herself as she glanced ahead. She saw that she was almost out of London, and after that it wouldn't take long to reach the field where Logan was waiting.  
  
She just had to hope her bats would last.  
  
*****  
  
"Dammit!" Hyde grunted, as he narrowly avoided losing his balance while running along the rooftops. Glancing back, he saw that the Martian ship was still behind him, but it was far too near to him for his liking, and he didn't dare jump down and fight it. For once, he was in agreement with Henry; that would be a very stupid thing to do. He preferred running along the roofs of London's houses to get away from it; it was riskier, given that he had a large chance of loosing his balance and falling off the roof, but at least he was further out of range from the Martian's weapons up here.  
  
This is the only way I'm going to stay ahead, Hyde thought to himself, as he grabbed at a nearby chimney and tore it off the roof. Turning back, he threw it at the Martian ship with all his strength, causing a slight dent in the ship. It didn't do much more than knock it back a few metres, but it bought Hyde the time he sorely needed.  
  
As he continued to run, Hyde noticed that the edge of the city was rapidly getting nearer, and he'd soon be forced to get back down to the Martian's level.  
  
Desperately, he began to pick up his speed, finally managing to put a bit more distance between him and the Martian. Then, as Hyde reached the edge of the city, he leapt off the rooftops, and landed in the vast countryside.  
  
He was getting there. He knew it.  
  
He just hoped he'd live to see the end.  
  
*****  
  
Why did I agree to this? Oh yes; I'm trying to atone for what I've done, Frank thought to himself, as he desperately pounded through the trees to get away from the Martian ship behind him.  
  
He was still aiming for the field that the League had agreed on, but what would happen when he got there wasn't the most prevalent of topics in his mind right now. Is atonement really worth all this effort? Frank asked himself, as he tried to increase his speed. I really need to see if I can think of something better.  
  
However, that would have to wait until another day; right now, Frank was more concerned with the fact that he was getting tired. He may have been capable of matching Terry in a fight, but he wasn't all that far ahead of a normal human in terms of speed.  
  
Fortunately, it appeared that what he had was enough for him to keep the Martian ship on its toes, or whatever it had instead of toes. Looking around, he noticed with some relief that this area was familiar to him as the location where the League had encountered their first Martian.  
  
He was almost there.  
  
He just hoped that the rest of them were there too.  
  
*****  
  
"Bloody hell!" Skinner yelled, as he clutched onto his horse's neck so tightly that the horse almost choked, narrowly avoiding the heat ray the Martians had fired at his head. "That was too close!" he called over to Hartdegen, who was a few feet away on his other side, riding an identical horse.  
  
"Agreed," Hartdegen replied, as he tugged on his reins and turned the horse towards the intended field. Skinner snapped out of his near-death terror long enough to grab his reins and turn the horse as well; the horses may not have been as fast as Nemo's car, but they did the job well enough.  
  
Groaning, Skinner reached up to his head to ensure that his hat was still on, and was relieved to find that it was. The last thing he needed was to have to get a new hat; he liked this one a lot.  
  
"Nearly there," he whispered into the horse's ear to calm it down. God knows it probably needed it; after all, he was nervous, and he actually knew what was going on here.  
  
*****  
  
"Duck!" Sawyer yelled at Nemo, as the car tore under a thick branch sticking out in front of the car. They'd abandoned the road a long time ago, and right now Sawyer was weaving through a forest in the hope of doing some damage to the Martians before they were even infected with the virus.  
  
Right now, however, it didn't appear to be working; the ship was still right behind the car, and all that the drive had achieved was giving their car's paintwork a few scratches. Nemo wasn't too happy about that, but he was prepared to ignore it for a good cause.  
  
Glancing back, he saw that the Martian ship was still chasing them, but appeared a little confused, as though it was having trouble finding them.  
  
Fortunately, that was easily remedied. Reaching to his side, Nemo pulled out a small but powerful pistol of his invention and fired it at the Martian ship. The bullets ricocheted off the ship's hull into the trees, but that was all right; all Nemo had been trying to do was get the attention of the aliens once again.  
  
"Hang on tight, Nemo; we're nearly there!" Sawyer yelled back at his friend, as they trees vanished from around them and they began to drive through a field.  
  
Glancing back, Nemo saw that Sawyer was correct; the field they had chosen to be the scene of the Martian's destruction was only a few more metres away.  
  
"Get ready," he whispered to the young American, as the car moved ever closer to the fence around the field. Then, as the car broke the fence, Nemo cried out, "NOW!"  
  
*****  
  
Instantly, the two of them leapt out of the car, diving to the side. It drove onward crashing into the fence on the other side of the field. The Martian ship followed on afterwards, heading for the centre of the field...  
  
Then, to the great relief of Sawyer and Nemo, they saw the other League members come charging into the field, followed by the other five Martian ships. Once their targets were in the field, each League member used their own unique way of leaving the field; Mina flew out, Hartdegen and Skinner galloped out on their horses, and Terry, Frank and Hyde just rapidly doubled back.  
  
They were out.  
  
This is it! Sawyer thought, as he raised his hand to his mouth and bellowed out the instructions that decided the fate of the world.  
  
"Logan, NOW!"  
  
At that, a pile of dirt that lay in the centre of the field got up and shook itself down. It was Logan, clutching the bomb and covered in clumps of dirt and grass that Mina's bats had torn up before they left him.  
  
Dusting the grass off himself, Logan looked around at the Martians, grinning at them with a vaguely animalistic grin.  
  
"You wanted to conquer the Earth?" he asked, cocking his head at them. "Well," he continued, as he raised his left arm and his claws burst out of it, "See if you can handle its smallest inhabitants!"  
  
And he slashed the canister open. Instantly a thin green gas began pouring out of the canister, and it spread through the air towards the Martians.  
  
"Quick!" Sawyer yelled, reaching into his pocket and pulling out his gas mask. The rest of the League did the same, although Hyde cut it incredibly close by running over to Terry to retrieve his mask; he'd been unable to have it on him due to his pockets being incapable of holding anything, as well as the fact that they could never stay intact during his transformation.  
  
As soon as the masks were on, the League turned back to watch the scene in front of them. The gas had spread rapidly from the germ bomb after Logan had cracked it, and it had reached the Martians already. The ships were staggering around, looking like they were humans with a bad headache that left them unable to keep their balance. Logan was still in the centre of the field, looking like what he was; plagued by an extremely bad cold. However, he was still standing, albeit with one knee on the ground, and looking around at the Martians with a mad grin on his face.  
  
"You're... dead,... suckers..." he panted, as the Martians finally stopped staggering and collapsed onto the ground.  
  
*****  
  
As soon as the Martians fell, the gas began to drift up towards the sky, the disturbance the Martians caused upon impact only increasing its ascent. Then several bats flew in underneath the cloud, and began to flap it upwards.  
  
Looking over at Mina, Sawyer saw that she had her eyes closed in concentration but was facing in the general direction of the cloud.  
  
It wasn't the most sensible method of clearing a cloud of cold germs, but he couldn't deny it was working.  
  
As the cloud finally rose high enough to allow even Hyde to go under it, the League walked into the field and headed towards Logan. He was looking a lot better than he had a couple of minutes ago, but his eyes were still running and his nose was red. Still, he grinned at the League as they approached him, and his entire appearance returned to normal as soon as they were within touching distance of him.  
  
"That... was rough," he grunted at them, his voice still slightly hoarse.  
  
"It looked it," Sawyer said, as he glanced around at the collapsed Martian ships. He indicated one of them to Hyde. "Tear it open, Edward. Let's just make sure they're dead."  
  
Hyde nodded, walked over to the indicated ship, and placed his hands inside a fair sized crack that the crash to the ground had left in its side. Exerting his massive strength against the crack, Hyde pulled it apart, and the League found themselves staring at the bodies of several deceased Martians.  
  
They were definitely deceased. Nothing could be in that shape and be alive, alien or not.  
  
Hyde turned back to the others. "So, what do we do with the bodies?"  
  
"Burn them," Nemo replied, indicating the other edge of the field where his car had crashed into the fence. "I have some incendiary bombs stored in the back of the car. We can use them to annihilate all evidence of the Martians."  
  
"Perfect," Sawyer said. "Guys, get on with tearing holes in the other ships; the bombs should have more of an effect from the inside."  
  
The League nodded, and then Frank, Mina, Hyde, Terry and Logan turned back to the ships, and began to tear the hulls apart. .  
  
From the side, while Nemo went to pick up his bombs, Sawyer, Hartdegen and Skinner surveyed the destruction in front of them.  
  
"We won," Hartdegen said, as thought it was just something he'd read somewhere. "We actually won. We won a big one. A very big one. One that could have annihilated us and everyone on the planet."  
  
"Yeah," Skinner said, grinning. "And you know something? This feels great."  
  
*****  
  
A few minutes later, the League were watching the Martian ships as they began to burn up and dissolve into nothing, their position on a nearby hillside affording them an excellent view. Eventually, Mina broke the silence.  
  
"Should we be worrying about other Martians?" she asked, looking around at the League in general.  
  
"I doubt it," Terry replied. "Based on my scans of the ship, the Martians had a direct link to the rest of their species back on Mars. Now that we have defeated them, they know that Earth is not a planet they can safely conquer. They will not be returning."  
  
"That's a relief," Skinner smiled. Then a thought occurred to him and he turned to face Logan and Frank. "So, now that this little fight's over, do you two want to join the League on a more permanent basis?"  
  
Logan and Frank looked at each other for a couple of seconds. Then they turned back to the League and both replied at the same time.  
  
"No."  
  
Logan continued their explanation. "We like you guys, don't get me wrong on that, but, well... Frank and I, we're natural loners. You guys, it's like you were born for this team. Us, well... we weren't."  
  
"Besides," Frank added, "Beyond extra muscle, what do we really bring to your team? It's not that we wouldn't be glad to be permanent teammates of yours, we just don't think we'd bring anything some others don't offer already."  
  
"Oh," Hartdegen said simply. Then another thought occurred to him. "So, will you be leaving us for good now?"  
  
"No," Frank replied assuringly. "Just give us something that lets us keep in contact with you, and call us when you really need backup. We'll be there for you."  
  
"Well, that's something," Sawyer said, as he shook the hands of them both. "It's been a pleasure to meet you two."  
  
"Likewise," Frank assured him, and Logan nodded in agreement.  
  
Then the League turned their backs on the field and walked towards Nemo's car, which was waiting for them only a few feet away.  
  
*****  
  
The world was saved.  
  
New friends had been gained.  
  
A new threat had been vanquished.  
  
Wonder what we'll be up against next? Sawyer asked himself, as he briefly stared up at the sky while standing beside the car, briefly lost in thought. Then, a tap on his arm by Mina bought him back to reality. He got into the car beside her, and the League left the country behind them.  
  
It was time to go home. 


	7. Terminator Karaoke

Disclaimer: The usual: I own nothing you know, that sort of thing.  
  
Feedback: Please do.  
  
Worlds at War  
  
A few hours later, the League were back where they had started this latest adventure; in the Nautilus's dining room, finishing off yet another scrumptious meal. Logan and Frank had parted ways with them at the docks, but Hartdegen had given them a couple of radios he'd managed to pick up; should the League ever need their assistance, they'd call them, find out where they were, and then arrange to meet them.  
  
Once back in the Nautilus, the League had decided to finish what they'd started a few days ago, and have Sawyer reveal his mystery entertainment to them. With that, Nemo had told the crew to remake the food again, before the League had all changed for the party. Even Terry had nipped off to the kitchens to help out; then again, he did need some food by now, so there was another reason.  
  
After a second delicious meal, the League were only waiting for Skinner to finish his chocolate ice cream. Finally, the former gentleman thief placed the bowl down on the table in front of him.  
  
"Ah, excellent," he said, smacking his lips and looking over at Sawyer. "So, what's this mysterious entertainment, Tom?"  
  
*****  
  
"Here it comes," Sawyer replied, smiling as he glanced over at the stage he'd set up. Looking up, the League saw something rather unexpected; Terry was standing on the stage, one hand on a long stick in front of him while the other one was out to his side. All around him were black box-shaped devices of various sizes, plugged into what resembled one of Nemo's electrical generators.  
  
"Mr Sawyer, what exactly is this about?" Nemo asked, glancing over at the former American spy.  
  
"Well, it's simple really, Nemo," Sawyer replied, smiling at his friend. "With some advice from Hartdegen, I had they idea that Terry could perform a miniature concert for us, of songs from the future. They're all related to one of us in some way or another; I practically insisted on that when we were finding them. They're a bit different from what we know, but they're interesting. The equipment behind him plays the actual tunes, and the stick makes his voice sound louder."  
  
"Ah," Nemo said, looking over at Terry. "Well, begin when you wish, Mr Nator."  
  
"Of course," Terry replied, nodding at Nemo. Then he coughed, although the League knew it was just to make him seem more human, and held the stick closer to his mouth. "To open up, 'Yellow Submarine'," he stated simply. Then he began to sing, in a voice very unlike his usual one.  
  
"In the town where I was born,  
  
Lived a man who sailed the sea,  
  
And he told us of his life,  
  
In the land of submarines.  
  
"So we sailed up to the sun,  
  
Till we found the sea of green,  
  
And we lived beneath the waves,  
  
In our yellow submarine.  
  
"We all live in a yellow submarine,  
  
Yellow submarine, yellow submarine,  
  
We all live in a yellow submarine,  
  
Yellow submarine, yellow submarine.  
  
"And our friends are all aboard,  
  
Many more of them live next door,  
  
And the band begins to play.  
  
"We all live in a yellow submarine,  
  
Yellow submarine, yellow submarine,  
  
We all live in a yellow submarine,  
  
Yellow submarine, yellow submarine.  
  
"As we live a life of ease,  
  
Everyone of us has all we need,  
  
Sky of blue and sea of green,  
  
In our yellow submarine.  
  
"We all live in a yellow submarine,  
  
Yellow submarine, yellow submarine,  
  
We all live in a yellow submarine,  
  
Yellow submarine, yellow submarine.  
  
"We all live in a yellow submarine,  
  
Yellow submarine, yellow submarine,  
  
We all live in a yellow submarine,  
  
Yellow submarine, yellow submarine."  
  
Terry bowed at the League. They all clapped politely, although they were mostly a bit confused.  
  
Skinner voiced the opinions of them all. "Interesting, certainly, but a little odd," he said.  
  
"Yeah, sorry about that, but it was the only song I could find with a reference to a submarine in it," Sawyer explained. He glanced over at the figure on the stage. "Terry, next up... try 'Invisible'."  
  
"Agreed," Terry replied, nodding at Sawyer.  
  
"What?" Skinner asked, glancing back at the American.  
  
"Just listen, Skinner," Sawyer smiled.  
  
And, as Skinner turned back to listen, Terry began to sing again.  
  
"What are you doing tonight?  
  
I wish I could be a fly on your wall.  
  
Are you really alone?  
  
Still in your dreams.  
  
Why can't I bring you into my life?  
  
What would it take to make you see that I'm alive?  
  
"If I was invisible,  
  
Then I could just watch you in your room.  
  
If I was invisible,  
  
I'd make you mine tonight.  
  
If hearts were unbreakable,  
  
Then I can just tell you where I stand.  
  
I would be the smartest man,  
  
If I was invisible  
  
(Wait... I already am).  
  
"I saw your face in the crowd,  
  
I called out your name,  
  
You don't hear a sound.  
  
I keep tracing your steps,  
  
Each move that you make,  
  
Wish I could be what goes through your mind.  
  
Wish you could touch me with the colours of your life.  
  
"If I was invisible,  
  
Then I could just watch you in your room.  
  
If I was invisible,  
  
I'd make you mine tonight.  
  
If hearts were unbreakable,  
  
Then I can just tell you where I stand.  
  
I would be the smartest man,  
  
If I was invisible  
  
(Wait... I already am).  
  
"I am nothing without you,  
  
Just a shadow passing through...  
  
"If I was invisible,  
  
Then I could just watch you in your room.  
  
If I was invisible,  
  
I'd make you mine tonight.  
  
If hearts were unbreakable,  
  
Then I can just tell you where I stand.  
  
I would be the smartest man,  
  
If I was invisible  
  
(Wait... I already am)."  
  
"Wow," Skinner said, clapping along with the rest as Terry finished that song.  
  
"Wait for this next one," Sawyer smiled, before he looked over at Mina. "I picked this one for you, from me."  
  
"Really?" Mina asked, intrigued. She turned back to look at Terry, as he broke into song again- this time in a woman's voice.  
  
"You with the sad eyes,  
  
Don't be discouraged.  
  
Oh I realize,  
  
It's hard to take courage,  
  
In a world full of people,  
  
You can lose sight of it all,  
  
And the darkness inside you  
  
Can make you feel so small.  
  
"But I see your true colours  
  
Shining through,  
  
I see your true colours,  
  
And that's why I love you.  
  
So don't be afraid to let them show  
  
Your true colours,  
  
True colours are beautiful,  
  
Like a rainbow  
  
"Show me a smile then,  
  
Don't be unhappy, can't remember  
  
When I last saw you laughing.  
  
If this world makes you crazy,  
  
And you've taken all you can bear,  
  
You call me up,  
  
Because you know I'll be there.  
  
"And I'll see your true colours  
  
Shining through,  
  
I see your true colours,  
  
And that's why I love you.  
  
So don't be afraid to let them show  
  
Your true colours,  
  
True colours are beautiful,  
  
Like a rainbow."  
  
Mina grinned thankfully at Sawyer as she clapped along with the rest. "Is that true?"  
  
"Exactly," Sawyer replied, grinning at his love. "You may have been cursed by a demon, Mina, but, you ask me? You're an angel, no matter what."  
  
Mina didn't know how to reply to that in words. So, instead, she leaned over and kissed Sawyer sweetly on the lips. It was these little details that made her realise how much she loved him. Then the two of them turned back to Terry, and, after a moment's contemplation, Sawyer called out, "This time, do 'My Heart will Go On', OK?" He glanced over at Hartdegen. "Alex, my friend, think of this as being from you, to Emma."  
  
"Pardon?" Hartdegen asked, puzzled.  
  
"I was in your room once and I noticed a page on your diary mentioning the funeral of a woman named Emma," Sawyer explained. "I only glanced at it, but that was enough. As I said, think of this as being from you to her."  
  
Hartdegen nodded, and turned back to the stage as Terry once again began to sing in a woman's voice.  
  
"Every night in my dreams,  
  
I see you, I feel you,  
  
That is how I know you go on.  
  
"Far across the distance,  
  
And spaces between us,  
  
You have come to show you go on.  
  
"Near, far, wherever you are,  
  
I believe that the heart does go on.  
  
Once more you open the door,  
  
And you're here in my heart,  
  
And my heart will go on and on.  
  
"Love can touch us one time,  
  
And last for a lifetime,  
  
And never let go till we're one.  
  
"Love was when I loved you,  
  
One true time I hold to,  
  
In my life we'll always go on.  
  
"Near, far, wherever you are,  
  
I believe that the heart does go on.  
  
Once more you open the door,  
  
And you're here in my heart,  
  
And my heart will go on and on.  
  
"You're here, there's nothing I fear,  
  
And I know that my heart will go on.  
  
We'll stay forever this way,  
  
You are safe in my heart,  
  
And my heart will go on and on."  
  
Hartdegen had to wipe away a tear as Terry finished that song. He looked over at Sawyer, and whispered simply, "Thanks."  
  
"You're welcome," Sawyer mouthed back at him. Then he looked over at Jekyll. "This next one was intended to be something around you, but I just had trouble finding anything to do with double personalities. So, I had to settle for the next best thing; something about how you may feel at the moment regarding..." He stopped talking there, but Jekyll knew what he meant.  
  
Regarding how he felt about Mina.  
  
Terry coughed again, and began to sing in a fifth voice- his third male one of the night.  
  
"If only I could get through this,  
  
I get through this.  
  
"I gotta get through this,  
  
I gotta get through this,  
  
I gotta make it, make it, make it through.  
  
I'm gotta get through this,  
  
I gotta get through this,  
  
I gotta take my, take my mind off you.  
  
"Give me just a second and I'll be all right.  
  
Surely one more moment couldn't break my heart,  
  
Give me 'til tomorrow then I'll be okay.  
  
Just another day and then I'll hold you tight.  
  
"When your love is falling like the rain,  
  
I close my eyes and it falls again,  
  
When will I get the chance to say I love you?  
  
I pretend that you're already mine,  
  
Then my heart ain't breaking every time  
  
I look into your eyes.  
  
"If only I could get through this,  
  
If only I could get through this,  
  
If only I could get through this,  
  
God, gotta help me get through this.  
  
"I gotta get through this,  
  
I gotta get through this,  
  
I gotta make it, make it, make it through.  
  
Said I'm gotta get through this,  
  
I gotta get through this,  
  
I gotta take my, take my mind off you.  
  
"Give me just a second and I'll be all right.  
  
Surely one more moment couldn't break my heart.  
  
Give me 'til tomorrow then I'll be okay.  
  
Just another day and then I'll hold you tight.  
  
"When your love is falling like the rain,  
  
I close my eyes and it falls again,  
  
When will I get the chance to say I love you?  
  
I pretend that you're already mine,  
  
Then my heart ain't breaking every time  
  
I look into your eyes.  
  
"If only I could get through this,  
  
If only I could get through this,  
  
If only I could get through this,  
  
God, gotta help me get through this.  
  
If only I could get through this,  
  
God, gotta help me get through this.  
  
If only I could get through this,  
  
God, gotta help me get through this.  
  
If only I could get through this..."  
  
Jekyll sighed as he looked over at Sawyer. "Thanks," he said, nodding at Sawyer. "It was a very accurate expression of me."  
  
"I thought so," Sawyer replied, smiling at his friend.  
  
"Just remember something, Doctor," Mina said, looking over at the man. She knew how he felt about her, and a part of her regretted that she didn't return those feelings. "I may not love you that way, but I will always be your friend. And another thing; some day, you'll meet someone who does, and she'll be a very lucky woman. Remember that."  
  
Jekyll gave Mina a little smile at that, and then they turned back to the stage. Terry was currently standing perfectly still in the centre of the stage, but when they looked back at him, he bowed at them and walked off.  
  
"Huh?" Skinner commented, looking back at Sawyer. "That was it? What about your song?"  
  
"Well, it seemed a bit self-centred to pick one out for myself," Sawyer explained, shrugging slightly. "Besides, I figured we had enough songs for one night."  
  
"We did, however, take the initiative," Hartdegen said, smiling a little.  
  
"Pardon?" Nemo said, looking over at his fellow scientist. "What do you mean?"  
  
Suddenly, Mina looked over at Hartdegen with an expression that was part disbelief and part joy. "That poem..." she said, whispering a little.  
  
"What?" Sawyer asked, looking over at Hartdegen. "What's going on here?"  
  
"Well, I picked out certain parts of a couple of lyrics that I thought had some kind of relevance to Mina's feelings for you, and showed them to her claiming they were poems I'd found," Hartdegen explained. "One she'd picked one, it all worked out from there." He looked back at Terry. "It's time for Mina's song to Sawyer, Terry."  
  
Terry nodded, got back up onto the stage, and started to sing in a woman's voice once again, for the last time this night.  
  
"Some say hearts  
  
Grow silent.  
  
In a world where no one cares,  
  
Love keep slipping away.  
  
Some say time  
  
Is the healer,  
  
But in a house where no one speaks,  
  
Love keep slipping away.  
  
"Tell me,  
  
Why do we fight when we know it's all wrong?  
  
Why do we play that same old song?  
  
Is it just because  
  
We're lonely?  
  
"Love me, love me,  
  
But don't be sorry,  
  
Help me chase the shadows away.  
  
Love me, love me,  
  
When you've got nothing to say,  
  
Say something anyway.  
  
"Some say tears  
  
Run dry, but  
  
In my heart I've cried forever;  
  
Only you can take it away.  
  
"Tell me,  
  
Why do we fight when we know it's all wrong?  
  
Why can't we see what's going on?  
  
Is it just because  
  
We're lonely?  
  
"Love me, love me,  
  
But don't be sorry,  
  
Help me chase the shadows away.  
  
Love me, love me,  
  
When you've got nothing to say,  
  
Say something anyway.  
  
"Anything to break the ice,  
  
Anything at all;  
  
Anything to break the ice,  
  
Anything at all.  
  
"Love me, love me,  
  
But don't be sorry.  
  
"(Oh), love me, love me,  
  
But don't be sorry,  
  
Help me, chase the shadows away (the shadows away).  
  
Love me, love me,  
  
When you've got nothing to say (you've got nothing to say),  
  
Say something anyway.  
  
Help me chase the shadows away,  
  
Love me, love me,  
  
When you've got nothing to say,  
  
Say something anyway....."  
  
"Wow..." Mina whispered, looking over at Hartdegen. "A very apt choice, Mr Hartdegen. Thank you."  
  
"Any time," Hartdegen smiled, as Terry sat back down. "Now, let's eat."  
  
With that, the League laughed and joked around with each other all through the rest of the night. Skinner taught Terry a couple of practical jokes, Hartdegen and Nemo transported the equipment somewhere safe, and the League were themselves again.  
  
No worries, no foes, no strategies needed.  
  
At present, their services weren't needed anywhere else in the world but there, with their friends and comrades.  
  
For now... 


End file.
